


The pecking order

by WordThief



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alpha Leo Valdez, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, M/M, Omega Nico di Angelo, enjoy, kindof, was hit with a sudden and inescapable need to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28804500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordThief/pseuds/WordThief
Summary: Aka: 3 times Leo scents someone in the Argo II, and the one time someone scents him.Also aka: Proof that I can write alpha Leo; I just like writing him as an omega better.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Leo Valdez, Other Background Relationships - Relationship
Comments: 12
Kudos: 75





	1. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They shape-shift, because I like to imagine them with ears and tails, it’s not that deep.

The way the world works, you would think there’d be a lot less alphas in the seven, considering in particular that alphas only make 30% of the world’s population. But somehow, despite the unlikely odds, there are a total of three alphas aboard; one of which is the self-proclaimed captain of the ship.

The thing about alphas, is that they are a lot more likely to fight over who’s the boss than not, and while both Jason and Percy want little to do with the position of leader, they want the other to have it even less. The clear, and easiest, solution to this, would be to defer the title to someone else, but even then, there would still exist the issue of who would be higher on the metaphorical ladder.

So it can’t be Anabeth, even though she would make a terrific leader, and she’s the one they all wish would take point here, no lies; but she is ‘biased’ towards Percy. She’s not really, but Jason will not listen, and dealing with an antagonistic alpha isn’t ideal when trying to survive the trip to the most dangerous place for demigods.

And by that same line of logic it can’t be Piper either, because Piper is ‘biased’ towards Jason. She also isn’t, but Percy is equally as stubborn as Jason, and given they need both of them to cooperate on the voyage, trying it would be a moot point.

Hazel and Frank, who know both of their leading styles firsthand, have chosen to step out of the option pool, in an attempt to not cause a bigger rift between the two most powerful demis in this ship. And that leaves Leo.

The problem with Leo taking point, is that he is also an alpha, though by nature of being feral, he’s been an alpha far longer than both of them; which is why he has a better handle on his instincts. It doesn’t give him any particular advantages over two alphas that are, one, bigger than him, and two, already half-shifted.

But the fact that they both have their dog ears out means that Leo has a very good plan of action, digging into his tool belt, he pulls out a dog whistle, as Jason and Percy once again start growling at each other, wind and water reacting accordingly; Leo is quick to action.

It’s a little funny, how they both immediately drop and turn to glare at him, since they’re the only ones half-shifted, they’re the only ones affected, and clearly they aren’t happy about that. Still, Leo saunters over to them while they’re still stunned, and then places a hand on a shoulder each, and makes those hands be hot enough to be uncomfortable.

“I’d appreciate it if the two of you didn’t destroy my ship”

It’s a testament to the fact that Leo and Jason spent an entire month traveling together that he doesn’t struggle, Percy is different, but Leo never expected him to stay put in the first place. So he steps back as Percy tries to knock him down, and then proceeds to not raise to the bait, instead leveling Percy with an unimpressed look.

“I thought you didn’t want to be the leader?”

Jason goes to stand up too, but Leo’s quicker and keeps him down with his hand, Percy looks from one to the other before he goes back to normal, letting out a long sigh before he arches his neck. Leo allows Jason to get up as he moves towards Percy, somehow managing to keep his expression in check.

“Just this once Valdez”

Leo nods, appeasing, though he has to have Percy bend down to even reach, but that’s hardly his fault, really. It weird meshing Percy’s sea breeze scent with Leo’s own campfire and metal; and it’s even weirder to do that with Jason a moment after, particularly because it implies Leo’s higher in the ladder than both.

Thankfully, there’s less fighting after that. Less to do with Leo intervening, and more to do with Piper and Anabeth doing it; he does give both of the girls their own dog whistles though, just in case.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the passage of time, presenting happened later and later, which is why, being from the 40’s Nico presented sooner than a present-day omega would’ve. He presents during the battle against Kronos, and that’s why he disappears for a bit.

When it comes to what sort of animal one shifts into, the wide majority of people turn into dogs, which is to do with the similarities between canines and humans. However, if the right conditions are met, one can turn into a feline instead; conditions such as genetics, living habits, so on.

The larger majority of feline-shifters, happen to be feral, as that requires similar conditions to be triggered, but there exist common cat-shifters, and feral canine-shifters. Leo happens to be the latter.

Ferals receive their name for their particular trend of shifting into wild animals, which has in turn caused many to theorize that it’s this wild nature that causes them to present earlier than their peers. Leo had been twelve when he first shifted, while trying to run from the police in order to avoid being thrown back into the system; but it backfired on him, as he was stopped by the subsequent rut.

Luckily, being in rut meant they had to keep him isolated, long enough for Leo to plan his next move in between waves of undirected lust. He never fully shifted again after that, and the few times he went half-way he was confused for a wolf, as opposed to the fox he knew himself to be; he let people believe that.

Frank was also a feral, it was obvious in how deeply rooted the scent of beta was on him, but given that he could shape-shift into any animal at all, guessing which was the base one was a moot point. But Leo would put money on it being a feline of some sort.

The reason Leo’s thinking about ferals and feline-shifters is that he has a much rarer occurrence currently residing in his ship. One that could very easily throw the tentative peace the ship had been in since Percy and Jason both allowed Leo to scent them into disarray.

The way the world works, only 20% of the world’s population falls under the category of omega, and of that percentage, only 10% of omegas are male. Somehow, despite all of those facts, Nico di Angelo happens to be exactly that, a male omega.

Having an omega in the ship would be problematic no matter who they were, mainly because of the effect they have on alphas, and though both Jason and Percy are in relationships, they are, once again, still somewhat new to their second nature. And, the fact that Nico seems to have some sort of history with Percy doesn’t bode well for anyone aboard the Argo II; because having an omega’s attention would put Percy a step up in the metaphorical ladder, no matter what kind of attention it is.

Which means that Leo, gods have mercy on him, finds himself suddenly needing to challenge Percy Jackson if he wants to prevent another fight between the two most powerful demigods amongst the seven. That, or let Nico kick Jason and Percy’s asses, but as Nico just recently came out of a jar filled with poison where he had no water or food, he probably shouldn’t.

Personally, Leo thinks Nico could still do it, but he fears Hazel more than he wants to see the omega in action.

So, again, Leo finds himself needing to fight Percy and win; which is why, as they make their way to some empty island where they can do this without destroying the ship, Leo prepares things for his inevitable defeat. Namely, the, ‘how to keep the fight inside the island once Jason gets involved and I’m unconscious in the ground’ plan; which sure, needs an easier name, but that’s the least of Leo’s problems.

Not for the first time, Nico wishes he’d presented as anything other than omega, because it’s brought him nothing but trouble. Though it also means he gets to know what kind of person the captain of the Argo II is; because he’s certain that if it wasn’t for Hazel, the alpha would’ve let Nico deal with this himself.

It is his fault, because if he were a beta his past crush on Percy would’ve gone unnoticed, him being an omega, the only one in the ship, means that having his attention in Percy agitates the other alphas aboard. Or rather, agitates Jason, as a feral, Leo seems mostly unaffected, other than worrying over how to keep the other two from fighting and sinking the ship.

If Hazel didn’t have Nico on forced bed rest, he would be the one fighting, to prove that he favors neither alpha. And then it would be as easy as allowing Leo to scent him in order to reestablish the previous order of things.

The only upside to all of this, is that at least this way he’ll satisfy his curiosity over how Leo got both Jason and Percy to bow to him. Especially because Hazel and Frank both get too flustered to talk about it, and he doesn’t have the guts to ask either Piper or Anabeth.

He’s also, a little curious about what animal Leo shifts into, considering that he’s a feral alpha, and despite the rising tension in the ship, has yet to show his animal features. But he doesn’t think he’ll get to see them, particularly because before they dock beside the island they’re using for this, Leo gives him a silver dog whistle to hold, just in case.

There may or may not be a moment where their hands brush against each other and Nico feels how warm Leo is, but it’s inconsequential, really. And he may or may not notice how Leo looks momentarily surprised before he pulls away, but that is also inconsequential.

Percy shifts into a black lab, which means the most notable thing is his tail when half-shifted, though the ears are there, melding with his hair; and he is half-shifted by the time they decide on a spot. Being that he shifts into a black cat, Nico should be intimidated by the size difference, and he is, when he thinks about it for long enough; which he didn’t allow himself to do much of, back when.

The fight lasts all of 10 minutes, in which Percy strikes with his sword, and Leo defends with a copper colored baseball bat, all while clouds coils around them, from Percy’s failed attempts at using water to his advantage, only for Leo to turn it to steam in seconds. The temperature around them is scalding, and the others have all taken a few steps back, Nico’s magically cold temperature leaves him the only one still in his starting spot; and he’s so transfixed he’d probably have stayed there regardless.

Percy is a sight to see when fighting, but Leo’s matching him move by move, all without even half-shifting once. Eventually the steam gets thick enough that they can no longer see either of them sans a few flashes of red from Leo’s fire, and the next time the steam clears, Percy is on the ground, and Leo has a foot on his chest, and they’re both panting.

Nico feels something brush against his leg, and knows immediately that his tail and ears are now visible; and the air around him has turned a tinge sweeter. All of which would be incredibly embarrassing, if he didn’t feel interest from literally everyone other than the two alphas, who are both too far to smell anyways; he’s probably not even the only one half-shifted.

Leo lets out a breathy laugh, as he gets off from Percy and offers him help getting up; and Nico gets to watch Leo pulling Percy to his feet like he weights nothing, which doesn’t help with the half-cat situation. And then he watches Percy offer his neck, ears and tail disappearing, and Leo tugging him down within reach.

Finally, they turn to them, and have very different reactions to them, Leo’s hair catching on fire for a second, while Percy laughs. Leo gets himself under control and smiles.

“Jason, you’re next”

It’s a testament to the general reaction that Jason simply arches his neck, even as he approaches dutifully, which has Leo letting out a surprised sort of laugh, but he also pulls Jason within reach with a telling ease.


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If these had titles this one would be something like ‘once a pack animal, always a pack animal’. Scents differ depending on who’s smelling them, but have a base that anyone can smell, in Leo’s case his base is campfire, and then he has a metallic after scent for alphas, but a peppermint after scent for omegas.

There exists, of course, more than one reason to scent each other.

Actually, the scenting done to stablish hierarchy within groups is the least common.

Normally, scenting is done for two reasons, to claim, and to reassure.

The first is easy.

When the relationship between a group of people gets to a certain level of intimacy, they may wish to take the next step and form a pack. When forming a pack, the group will pick a head, who then will proceed to scent all others as members of their pack.

Other times, when the relationship between two people gets serious enough, they may wish to become mates, in which case the courting process will begin by them scenting each other. It’s also very common for alphas in particular to keep scenting their mates even after the bond forms; as per their possessive nature.

It’s only two days after Percy and Leo had their fight, that Piper comes to Leo with the widest smile on her face.

“I think it’s unfair that Percy and Jason are the only people with your scent on this ship”

To his credit, Leo looks genuinely surprised by this, if a little flustered; which Nico knows because he happened to be stretching his legs per Coach Hedge’s orders, and not because he’d been staring.

Surprisingly, Anabeth pops up into the deck too, clearly having followed Piper there.

“She has a point”

Leo opens and closes his mouth a few times.

“You want me to scent you?”

Piper somehow grins wider.

“I think we were all affected by seeing you kick Percy’s ass”

Anabeth rolls her eyes, but does smile at Leo.

“It was impressive”

Leo brushes his hair back, looking sheepish.

“I guess”

Piper full on chirps at that, quickly passing by Leo to get to the com installed in the helm.

“Everyone to the deck!”

Nico feels a little lightheaded, as his mind starts racing through what this means, he has to look away from Leo and the girls in order to stop himself from half-shifting again at the idea. He’s not even sure they’ll include him; he shouldn’t be getting his hopes up.

The rest of the seven come up on the deck one by one, and when Nico looks again he sees Leo looking a little tenser. It probably has to do with Percy and Jason, who are the unpredictable part of the group, on account of the tension between them only being on hold because Leo’s back at the top of the chain.

This, having Leo scent all of them, would put him there a little more permanently, and that could cause an issue. Piper is still grinning, seemingly unaware of this, but Anabeth has gone tense too.

“Leo’s gonna scent all of us!”

There’s a moment of silence, in which they all look at the two non-feral alphas of the group, but nothing happens, and so they all breathe out. Then Leo straightens, and turns towards Nico with a curious look.

“You’re not joining us chico?”

To avoid embarrassment by letting out the pleased mewl that climbs to his throat, Nico nods wordlessly and hurries to stand beside Hazel.

Per order of their secondary genders, Jason and Percy have to go first, and because Percy has tried to fight Leo twice now, he doesn’t say anything about going after Jason, after them goes Piper, who’s Leo’s best friend, and then Anabeth. As the only omega Nico knows he’ll go last, but he’s surprised when Leo scents Hazel before he does Frank, he’ll have to ask her about that later.

Right now, he’s face to face with Leo, and can’t do anything other than take everything in, eyes going from bushy eyebrows, to almost pointy ears, to wide nose, to plush lips, to the warmest brown eyes Nico’s seen. Because of course the guy had to be pretty up close, on top of having proven he’s powerful, and that’s not even the whole of it.

No, because Leo, against every stereotype of alpha, doesn’t simply stride towards Nico and covers him in his scent. Rather, he holds himself in front of Nico in the least intimidating way he can, and waits for Nico to let him get closer.

Nico tries to breathe evenly as he arches his neck in both permission and submission, only that backfires spectacularly because he gets an entire mouthful of alpha scent. And Leo smells like burning wood and peppermint, and Nico is so fucking tempted to bury his nose in it; he really shouldn’t be judged for half-shifting again, it’s so good.

Only, it gets even stronger for a moment, and then Leo’s pulling away a lot more harshly than he pulled in, face flushed and oh… pointed black ears tilted back but still visible, and a bushy tail that wags once before Leo clears his throat, and goes back to normal. Nico’s sure many people have instantly thought ‘wolf’ when looking at Leo half-shifted, but from up close the shape of the tail and ears are unmistakable.

Not that Nico cares particularly about the fact that the size difference between them is viable for… things. The fact that he’s yet to be able to go back to normal is just a coincidence.


	4. +1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I needed the excuse to tell you what Nico’s scent is in this AU, since he’s an omega. Nico’s base scent is fresh dirt, he has a greasy food after scent for other omegas, and a caramel after scent for alphas.

The second reason scenting may happen is a little different.

When facing a stressful event, people may look for comfort in others they consider themselves close to by asking to be scented by them. Many believe this behavior stems from remaining instincts previous to evolution, related to humanity’s social nature, and our possible past as pack animals.

In their case, they lose part of their pack.

Sure, the whole pack ordeal was rushed, and honestly a little all over the place, but losing Anabeth and Percy still hits like a truck.

Things have changed between them by now, Nico’s found himself a place in the ship, getting closer to Hazel, Frank, and surprisingly to Leo. The last only happens after Nico suffers from a drop due to overexerting himself when he’s still recovering.

Which meant that from then on Leo made sure to help him recover his appetite, little by little, while Hazel made sure he slept, and Frank tried to help him get back to fighting shape. Which in turn has helped form a strange sort of comradery between the three of them, with Nico tangled somewhere in the middle; it’s kind of nice, but Nico will never admit it.

Piper and Jason now stink of each other, both as per courting rules, and because they’re comforting each other. On the same line of comforting each other, but not the one of courting, Frank and Hazel smell of each other as well.

And normally, they would all stink of Leo, since being the head of the pack means he should be taking care of them. But other than helping Hazel and Frank with Nico, he hasn’t really been interacting with anyone; and even in those moments, he keeps himself at a distance.

So because Nico’s grown fond of the alpha, and sort of likes being in a pack, he takes it upon himself to fix it. It’s not technically his place, since he’s not family or mate to Leo; but the others aren’t doing anything, and it’s getting on Nico’s nerves.

Thus, how Nico finds himself scouring the halls of the Argo II in search for its captain.

He’s about to give up search until tomorrow, when he hears a low muttering coming from the door next to the engine room. It’s slightly ajar and a bit of light is seeping through.

Nico pushes the door open as softly as he can, and finds the person he’d been looking for.

The room Leo’s in is dimly illuminated by a bunch of candles in glass bulbs. Their flames flickering on tune with the expressions on Leo’s face.

The alpha is fiddling with something spherical, muttering to himself in something that’s neither English nor Ancient Greek; probably Spanish, all things considered. He lets out a long suffering sigh and then finally notices the other presence in the room, tensing for a moment before his eyes find Nico.

“Oh, uhm, take a seat?”

He points towards a different part of the room, and now that Nico’s sight is getting used to the lightning in here he sees there’s a chair there; and a desk filled with blueprints in front of Leo.

“What’s that?”

Leo makes a face and proceeds to glare at the thing.

“An Archimedes sphere”

His voice is sharp and with an undertone of anger, it’s the most negative Nico’s seen him.

“Did it bite you or something?”

Leo turns back to him, clearly surprised, before he snorts softly, shaking his head.

“Do you know the goddess Nemesis?”

Nico swallows, and nods when Leo glances at him. The alpha lets out an exhausted sigh, and starts talking.

He tells Nico about the fortune cookie, and the price for opening it, and how Hazel, Frank, and Leo got trapped underground, and how Leo couldn’t solve the sphere now in his hands. The anger in his voice wavers into guilt.

He gets so frustrated that he actually half-shift, scent turning bitter as it starts overtaking the room; and Nico hates it. He wants the other one back, the one he could cover himself in and be happy, so he helps the only way he knows how.

He relies on instinct.

Wonderfully cold hands lay softly on Leo’s skin, barely brushing against him as they coax him into allowing Nico closer. Leo is tired enough that he doesn’t fight it, and tired enough that he doesn’t really react when he finds himself with a lapful of omega set on comforting him.

He arches his neck on instinct, eager for another taste of fresh dirt and caramel via Nico’s scent, which doesn’t sound all that appetizing when Leo says it like that, but it’s downright sinful for his nose. He also really likes Nico’s ears and tail when half-shifted, even if cat-features are harder to read.

Nico buries his nose into the space between Leo’s neck and his shoulder, just staying there until Leo gets on with the program and presses his own nose into Nico’s neck, allowing himself to drown in the omega’s scent. And when he thinks that’s more than enough, Nico starts purring, and Leo absolutely melts beneath him, making little happy trills that give away his fox nature.

It’s nice, and there’s a part of Leo that’s particularly pleased at the fact that they’re gonna stink of each other tomorrow if they stay like this much longer; but he’s got no intention of moving anytime soon, and Nico seems to agree with him.

They should though, it’s not a good idea to fall asleep like this.

“Come on chico, we can’t sleep here”

Nico huffs at him, rubbing his face against the piece of Leo’s skin at his disposal.

“And you can’t keep hiding”

Leo sighs, nodding against the omega.

“I’ll take care of everyone in the morning, promise”

Nico huffs again, accentuating it with a sharp nod, then his scent changes into a more nervous one.

“Come to bed with me?”

Leo would do anything Nico asked right now, he thinks, so he’s glad this is what the omega wants.

“Ok”

And if they wake up hopelessly tangled together, then that’s for them to keep. Though Leo makes good on his promise, all while reeking of Nico.

Thankfully, nobody says anything about it then, or later when Leo and the girls make a pack nest, and Nico curls at the alpha’s side, purring contently.


End file.
